Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Yale Accepted 753 EA Students for Class of 2019

Yale College has accepted 753 early action applicants for the class of 2019. Fifty-seven percent of applicants were deferred for reconsideration in the spring, 26% were denied admission, and 1% of the applications received were withdrawn or incomplete.

Yale’s early applicant pool was one of the most diverse that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has considered. “The Admissions Committee was impressed with the strength and diversity of this year’s early applicant pool across every dimension,” said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions. Quinlan reported that early applications from international students and students who identify as members of minority racial/ethnic groups reached the highest levels seen in recent years.

In keeping with its commitment to enroll students from all economic backgrounds, Yale also offered admission on Dec. 16 to 40 students through the QuestBridge National College Match. This is the highest number of “matches” Yale has made since becoming a QuestBridge partner in 2007 and 67% more than the 24 students matched last year. QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that helps identify high-achieving, low-income students and connects them with universities such as Yale that provide generous need-based financial aid.

In January, Yale made a commitment at the White House Summit on College Opportunity to significantly increase the number of QuestBridge finalists enrolling at Yale. The Yale freshman Class of 2018 includes a record 80 QuestBridge finalists, 20 of whom were admitted through the QuestBridge match process. In previous years, 50 to 60 QuestBridge finalists enrolled in the freshman class.

“This was the strongest group of QuestBridge Finalists I have reviewed since beginning the QuestBridge partnership with Yale in 2007,” said Quinlan. “It is wonderful to be able to offer these 40 students admission to Yale and a financial aid award that does not require their parents to pay anything toward the entire cost of attendance.” Quinlan reported that his staff is looking forward to reviewing more applications from QuestBridge finalists in the regular decision round, and said he believes it is likely that the Class of 2019 will meet or exceed last year’s record number of finalists enrolling as freshmen. Since becoming a QuestBridge partner seven years ago, Yale has offered admission to more than 600 Quest Scholars, and more than 200 Quest Scholars are currently enrolled in Yale College.

Quinlan emphasized that the Admissions Committee only voted to admit those early action applicants they were certain would be admitted had the applicant applied through the regular decision process. Past experience has shown that early action applicants and Quest Scholars who are deferred for reconsideration in the coming months have rates of admission similar to those of applicants who apply directly through the regular decision program.

Yale expects to make another 1,300 to 1,400 admission offers in the spring, aiming for a freshman class of about 1,360 for enrollment in the fall of 2015. For more than 50 years Yale has admitted students without regard to their ability to pay. The university’s financial aid program provides students with awards that meet 100% of their financial need without requiring students and families to take out loans. The average need-based scholarship for undergraduate students receiving financial aid this academic year is over $42,000.